ralift may travel here with exquifite pleafure and profit; the former will find treasures of infcriptions, and inedited monuments appertaining to the warlike nations, that once covered the face of the country: the natural philofopher will have a noble field for obfervation in the ftupendous monuments that rife on all fides. Monte-corno and Maiella are among the most inter refting;, the firft is like an aged monument of nature, bald, and horribly broken on every afpe&t; from various appearances, it is evident that its bowels contain many valuable veins of metallic ore, but the great difficulty of accefs renders the fearch of them almoft impracticable. Majella has other merits, and of a gayer kind;-nature has clothed its declivities and elevated fields with an infinite variety of her moft precious plants; vulnerary herbs grow there in as great perfection as on the Alps of Swizzerland, and are applied by the natives to wounds with equal fuccefs. and fine, but even this is going to decay, by being abandoned entirely to the ignorance of common workmen. It is not to be expected that any improvements will be made in arts and manufactures, where the encouragement and attention of fuperiors is wanting, and no pains taken to render the commodity more marketable, or to open better channels of fale for it. The only advantages thefe provinces enjoy are the gift of benevolent nature; but the bas ftill greater prefents in ftore for them, and waits only for the helping hand of government to produce them. This whole coaft, one hundred miles in length is utterly deftitute of fea-ports; and the only fpots where the produce can be embarked are dangerous inconvenient roads, at the mouths of rivers, and along a lee fhore: the difficulty of procuring shipping, and of loading the goods, frequently caufes great quantities of them to rot on hand, which damps induftry and prevents all improvements in agriculture. The husbandman is a poor difpirited wretch, and wretchednefs produces emigration; the uneven furface of the country occafions it to be inhabited by retail, if I may ufe the expreffion, rather than in large maflès, for there is not a city that contains ten thousand people, and the most of them would find it difficult to mufter three thoufand. Villages, caftles, and feudatory eftates are to be met with in abundance, but the numbers of their inhabitants are to be reckoned by hundreds, not thousands; in a word, the political and focial fyftem of the province fhews no figns of the vigour which nature fo remarkably difplays h re in all her operations. The antiquary and the natu "The character of the inhabitants varies a little among themfelves, according to fituation and climate, but effentially from the difpofition of the natives of the more fouthern provinces. This proceeds from a difference of origin; for the Lombards, who were barbarians, but not cruel; poor, but hofpitable; endowed with plain honeft sense, though poffeffed of little acutenefs or fubtlety; remained peaceable proprietors of thefe mountainous regions, till the Normans, who were accustomed to a fimilar climate, came, and difpoffeffed them. The Greeks, who retained almoft every other part of the kingdom under their dominion, never had any fway here. For this reafon the Abruzzefi N 3 Abruzzefi ftill bear a great refemblance to their northern progenitors or mafters to this day, one may trace in them the fame goodness of heart, but great indolence, and repugnance to lively exertions, a fault that proceeds rather from a want of active virtue, than a difpofition to wickedness. Hence it comes that in these provinces, where the proxi mity of the frontier almost infures impunity, fewer atrocious and inhuman deeds are heard of, than in other parts of the realm Remnants of ancient northern customs exifted here fo late as the beginning of this century, and, among the mountaineers, very evident traces of the Frank and leutonic lan guages may be discovered." THE Retrospective view of the general affairs of Europe from the year 1780.Emperor. Great schemes of reform and regulation. Some general obfervations on them. Decree for extending the liberty of the prefs. Decree in favour of the Jews. Ordinances striking at the authority of the court of Rome. Oftenfible causes, and political motives, for the Emperor's. journey to the Low Countries in the year 1781. Ill confequences of the war in which Holland was engaged, and of the new political system adopted by that republic. Refumption of the Dutch Barrier among the principal objects of the Emperor's journey. Observations on that measure. Barrier refigned, and the fortreffes dismantled. Alarm occafioned thereby in Holland. Great benefits derived by the Auftrian Netherlands, from becoming the medium of British commerce, in confequence of the war between the maritime powers. Sudden rise of Oftend to commercial importance through the fame caufe. Great favours conferred by the Emperor upon the city and people of Oftend. Declares the port free; orders a bason to be constructed; grants ground for building to foreign fettlers; and places of public worship to the proteflants. Emperor examines the obstructions to the navigation of the Schelde, and vifits Holland. Returns to Vienna.— Various wife and bumane regulations adopted in the course of the years 1781 and 1782. Enlargement of religious liberty to the proteßants-of civil liberty to the peasants of Bohemia, Moravia, Silefia, and Austrian Poland, who are discharged from their ancient flavery to the lords. Free exercife of their religion, with other advantages, granted by the Elector of Saxony to the roman catholics in bis dominions. Inquifition abolished by N4 the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Universities reformed by the Emperor. -Allots fchools for the education of foldiers children. Measures for rendering the city of Triefe a great commercial Emporium. Emperor lends four millions of florins to the merchants of that city. Suppreffion of religious boufe in the Auftrian Dominions. Ecclefiaftics in the Austrian Netherlands difcharged from all foreign jurifdiction. Imperial refcript, difclaiming all fubordination, in fecular affairs, to the Holy See. Suppreffion of religious boufes in the Duchy of Milan. refpondence between the Pope and the Emperor. Pontiff, Fius the Sixth, from Rome to Vienna. mours by the Emperor and Court; but fails in the objects of bis journey. Returns to Rome. Reform of the religious orders continued; and extended to the Hierarchy and fecular Clergy, as well as to the Regulars, Commiffion for adminiftering the fequeftered eftates; the produce defined to public purposes. Obfervations and ftrictures of foreigners on fome of thefe tranfactions. CHAP. II. Alarm at Rome. CarJourney of the Sovereign Received with great bo Retrospective view continued. State of the great powers on the borders of Europe and Aha. Ottoman Empire. Numerous fources of difcord with Ruffia. Successful endeavours of the captain bafbaw, notwithflanding the unfavourable ftate of public affairs, to quell rebellion and reftore order. He rejcues the Morea from the Albanians; punibes the authors, and puts an end to the diforders on the coafts of Afia; prevents the intended extermination of the Greeks. Porte, after much conteft, fubmits to the receiving Rufhan confuls in the provinces of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Beffarabia. Troubles in the Crimea. Tartar Khan accepts a commission in the Ruffan fervice. Dreadful conflagrations in Conftantinople. Forty thousand boufes defreyed. Grand Vizir depofed, and fucceeded by Jean Mebemer, a man of parts and ability. Ruffian Khan depofed by the discontented Tartars, and a new one elected, who is privately fupported by the Porte. Great differences between the two empires on that account: Long truce between the Porte and the court of Vienna on the point of expiring, which involves the former in nero difficulties on that fide. Divan fit eight days debating on the question of a war with Ruffia. Pacific refolutions adopted through the influence of the captain bafbaw, grand vizir, and mufti. Popularity of the grand fignior, and the firmness of his minifters, prevent any dangerous effect from the violent ferment of ibe people, who are clamourous for war; and whose passions are not less agitated by the pacifie conduct of the court, than by the contemplation of their ruined city. Em. peror openly avows his determination of supporting the claims of Ruffia, as well as his own. Strong memorials presented, and barfb demands made, by the courts of Petersburgh and Vienna, towards the clofe of the year 1782. Hofpodar of Wallachia ftrangled. Excellent conduct of the grand fignior with respect to the perfecution carried on by the Armenian patriarch. Vaft preparations for war on all fides in the year 1783. Treaty between the Porte and Spain. New Khan of the Tartars expelled by the Ruffians. Ruffians. Former Khan abdicates his throne, and assigns bis dominion and year 1784. CHA P. III. Recapitulation of the proceedings in parliament relative to the affairs of the East India company. Two Indian committees appointed by the House of Commons in 1781. Objects of the select committee. Objects of the fecret committee. The King's approbation of their proceedings. Reports of the Secret committee brought to the house April 1782. Account of Mr. Dundas's Speech on that occafion. Lays three fets of refolutions on the table; First fet, relative to the general misconduct of the company's affairs-poftponed :· Second fet, relative to the conduct of the prefidency of Madras-voted:~ Third fet, containing criminal charges against Sir Thomas Rumbold―voted. Bill of pains and penalties. Proceeding therein. Bill loft. Confideration of the first fet of refolutions resumed, Refolution against Mr. Haflings- voted. Conduct of the court of proprietors on that occafion. Proceedings of tbe felect committee. Refolutions voted. Vote against Sir Elijah Impey.- King's Speeches at the clofing and opening of the feffions. С НА Р. IV. Meeting of parliament towards the clofe of the year 1783. King's Speech.- influence created by the bills. Answer to this objection. First India bilļ carried up to the House of Lords. Rumours of the king's diflike of the bill. - ---- |